DISH OF THE WEEK: Fried Oysters at OSAMIL

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

Whenever there is a team get together for our tour company, I am in charge of choosing the restaurant. I love that job but it sure is a lot of pressure. I can’t choose the wrong place. Not only would we potentially have a bad meal, but my reputation is at stake.

Fortunately the place I chose for our recent holiday outing was a total success. In fact it far exceeded my expectations.

We went to Osamil, which is a fashionable Korean gastropub just a block off from the heart of Koreatown. The name Osamil actually translates to “531” which refers to the address 5 West 31st Street.

So now that I picked the restaurant, I also was in charge of picking which dishes to share.

We had upwards of 10 people so I went a little crazy, choosing a few items from each area of the menu.

In all honesty, just about any of my choices could have been the Dish of the Week. We had a unique dish called “Squid Fries” which were tubes of calamari fried to a crunchy crisp; a game changing Uni Bibimbap with generous rich sea urchin mixed in with other bold Asian flavors like perilla, wasabi, and kimchi; fatty lamb galbi that fell of the bone; a gutbomby Kimchi Fried Rice with bacon and hanger steak, and a sticky spicy seafood-loaded Rice Cake dish.

With all those flavors and innovation, I’m kind of surprised that I ended up picking the Fried Oysters.

Plump West Coast bivalves were breaded with panic and spices and then put back into the shells. Along with some scattered peppercorns and sea salt, it made for a nice presentation.

But it was the briny flavors and the contrasting textures that made these win out. I don’t always love fried oysters but these stayed crisp and fresh and were full of flavors of the sea. They were served with a seaweed salad and a bonito dipping sauce. They also put out a dropper of bracing wasabi oil which ensured each bite popped.

I have to pat myself on the back. Not only did I think the food here was excellent, but I got lots of accolades from my co-workers. What can I say? My brilliant restaurant picking skills strike again.  Price: $18